1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to high power fiber optic transport cables, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for providing mechanical isolation from perturbations impinging on such cables in harsh environments.
2. Description of Prior Developments
High power fiber optic transport cables are currently protected with Kevlar reinforced plastic jacketing and flexible metal armored cables. Such protection is effective at providing mechanical protection from environmental stresses, but ineffective at providing consistent mechanical stabilization along the length of the optical fiber in high power fiber optic transport cables. Mechanical stabilization is required in the new generation of large core (>20 um), single mode optical fibers such as Leaky Core Fibers, Chiral Coupled Core Fibers, High Order Mode Fibers, and Large Mode Area Fibers. Mechanical perturbations on these new fibers can disrupt the fiber's ability to propagate the optical field in a single mode along the entire length of the fiber. This results in inadequate beam quality, inconsistent optical performance, and unstable power transmission. Thus, the protection of high power fiber optic transport cables still has many needs for which a solution is required.